HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Nov. 15, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Raytheon Warfighter Protection Center in Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded the prestigious LEED Silver certification by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first official "green" facility in the state under the newer, more stringent standards.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. In order to obtain the Silver certification, the Raytheon facility in Huntsville had to earn enough points using the council's stringent criteria, which included reducing operating costs, providing a healthier and more productive environment for occupants, and conserving natural resources.

In a ceremony at the Warfighter Protection Center, the LEED Silver certification plaque was unveiled in front of Raytheon employees and guests. The plaque will be permanently displayed in the new building's reception area.

"From the very beginning we planned on incorporating the many energy saving features into our new facility because we felt it was the right thing to do," said Tony Palumbo, the center's executive. "To receive this LEED Silver certification honoring our many environmental elements makes it very special for our employees and for all of Raytheon."

Last month the Raytheon facility in Huntsville was honored with two awards from the City of Huntsville and its Air Pollution Control Board for its efforts to reduce air pollutant emissions and for promoting environmental education.

Among the many design and building elements that contributed to the facility receiving the LEED Silver certification were:

  -- Water use reduction - the reduction of water use in restrooms, showers
     and kitchen sinks designed with low-flow fixtures
  -- Reflective roof - a white roof for sun reflectivity and additional
     insulation to reduce heating and cooling loads
  -- Construction waste management - more than 90 percent of the cardboard,
     wood and metals waste diverted from a landfill and recycled
  -- Indoor air quality - a CO2 monitoring system installed to vary the
     amount of fresh air delivered to the building
  -- Safer materials - low volatile organic compounds used during the
     installation of paints, adhesives and sealants
  -- Sensor controlled lighting - occupants control and adjust individual
     lighting environments with sensors automatically turning lights off
     when employees leave their offices
  -- Preferred parking - to encourage employees to drive low emission
     vehicles and carpool.

Turner Universal constructed the Huntsville facility. Fuqua and Partners was the design architect.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2006 sales of $20.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

  Contact:
  Jim Keller
  256.542.4051

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Jim Keller of Raytheon Company, +1-256-542-4051

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/